Run Hard but Keep Your Carbon Footprint Light: Green Running

By Christina Scannapiego | Active.com

Whether you'll only recognize Earth Day on April 22 for 24 hours, celebrate seven days of earth week, make April Earth Month—or if you want to make ecologically responsible choices every day for the rest of your life, practicing green running isn't very hard to implement.

Even if you don't consider yourself a selfish person, the time and commitment you put into running is all about you. Your personal record, your pace, your gear, your alone time, your ritual—but with just a little bit of thought, effort and planning, some of that "me" time turns into something more selfless. We all know we're at the point where we need to start making some serious moves to preserve this planet. So take a look beyond your watch, that finish line, the road in front of you and appreciate the world around you.

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Drink Responsibly

Don't use plastic bottles ? and definitely don't buy those teeny-tiny ones from the store, no matter how easy they may be to carry. Invest in a few reusable running bottles or a hydration pack. And instead of buying sports drink after sports drink, buy mix for those bottles—but better yet, find a few recipes and make some gels or electrolyte-rich drinks. Embracing that DIY element is always a good way to lighten that carbon footprint just a little bit more.

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Frequently Asked Questions

ACTIVE Advantage is the premium membership program of ACTIVE, designed to support and encourage your active lifestyle by providing exclusive discounts on thousands of activities on ACTIVE. No matter what your passions are, it is our mission to make it cheaper and easier for you to pursue the activities you love.

The 30-day trial of the ACTIVE Advantage membership allows you to check out the program for yourself before starting a full annual membership. During this trial period you have full access to member benefits, including all ACTIVE registration discounts, access to free event entries, gear discounts and more. If you decide during the trial period that you don't want to continue the membership, just let us know. Otherwise, at the end of your 30 day trial we will extend your member benefits for a full year at the current annual membership fee.

If you sign up for the 30-day ACTIVE Advantage trial membership you'll receive full access to all member benefits during your trial period. When the 30 days of the trial are up, your benefits will automatically upgrade to the annual membership which currently costs $64.95 per year. That's less than $6 per month to enjoy the program all year round.

Members can receive discounts when registering for events on ACTIVE.com.

Simply follow the steps below to redeem your discount

Step 1: Find an event on ACTIVE and login. Use the ACTIVE directory to find an event. Click the login button in the upper right corner of the event details page. You will be re-directed to a login screen. After logging in, you will be sent back to the event details page.

Step 2: Click the "Register Now" button to sign up for the event. Complete all required registration fields and proceed to payment screen. When logged in as an Advantage member, your discount will automatically apply at the end of registration.

Step 3: Submit registration and receive discount. The discount amount will display in your shopping cart and will be deducted from your registration fees. The registration discount will vary and is excluded from some events. If the discount does not appear in your shopping cart, the event is not eligible.